Bucyrus Elementary "Defender's Club" Tackling Social Issues

Posted By The Stone Law Firm, LTD || 16-Jan-2012

Over the course of the school year, eight boys from the Bucyrus Elementary
School have worked alongside local attorney and Bucyrus alumni Adam Stone,
researching and advocating against three major problems facing the community
today: poverty hunger, bullying and substance abuse.

This newly formed "Defenders Club" stems from the Speak Truth
to Power (STTP) framework, a project of the Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Center
for Justice and Human Rights, which uses the experiences of courageous
defenders from around the world to educate students and others about human
rights, and urges them to take action.

According to Stone, the goal of the club is threefold:

To open students' eyes to the fact that these problems do exist in Bucyrus

To help students understand that these problems usually take place right
in front of them

To teach students that there are things people can do / are obligated to
do to help one another

The group started off the year studying RFK's quote: "It is from
numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of
others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple
of hope and, crossing each other from a million different centres of energy
and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest
walls of oppression and resistance," and establishing what the message
meant to them, as a whole. They then discussed and defined each topic,
explaining how it affected BES and what they could do to make a difference.

"Unfortunately, some of the members of the group are all too familiar
with these problems, while others are completely unaware of major issues
going on around them," Stone said. "While I feel it's important
to teach them about the issues, I feel it's even more important to
help them find a solution. If nothing else, I want to empower them to
do something about their own plight, while teaching them that no matter
what their age, they can make a difference in the world around them."

The group is already taking initiative, sponsoring a school-wide food drive
with donations going to support the school's backpack program. "The
kids are really excited about it," Stone said. "They developed
the idea from the ground up." BES students are encouraged to bring
in a canned/boxed item every Monday or Thursday, today through March 19.
In return they will receive a Speak Truth to Power wristband and a water
drop that says, "I am a ripple of hope." Water drops will be
hung in the hallway, mimicking the imagery of a ripple building a current
that could wipe down "even the mightiest walls of oppression and
resistance" as found in RFK's quote. Community members can also
participate by dropping off goods to the BES office.

"Success breeds success," Stone said. "I can't wait
to see what happens." For more information regarding the Defenders
Club, contact Stone at 419-562-2110.